BRITT TOWERY: Happy third birthday to the Texas Tribune

SAN ANGELO, Texas - Three years ago this month a new newspaper came to Texas. It did not land on your porch or in your flower bed. The print did not rub off on your hands as you shuffled through it.

The newspaper is not even made of paper. The Texas Tribune is part of the future, a digital Internet online newspaper. Visit the paper: www.texastribune.org.

With just the touch of a computer key you can find the annual base salaries of more than 674,000 public employees, including those working at the largest state agencies as well as individual universities, public schools, cities and mass-transit operators. Find salaries by searching for names, or by browsing for a specific agency or job title.

For instance, the salary of the University of Texas head football coach Mack Brown is $5,266,667, while Ronald A. DePinho, president of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, earns $1,404,000.

The Texas Tribune reported on a poll it did with the University of Texas that revealed Texans are leery of government. That was hardly news to most Texans.

Under a section called "Job Titles," a public teacher's median annual salary is $49,601, one of the nation's lowest. The median salary for a police officer is $87,580. Hard to get good men and women willing to lay their life on the line for that.

The Texas Tribune is more than facts and figures and is the most informative paper (website, whatever) in Texas today. It has a "Hot Seat" conversation with leading politicians, educators and statesmen on all sides of the spectrum. It recently previewed the 83rd Legislative Session.

Evan Smith is the CEO and editor-in-chief of The Texas Tribune. For 18 years he was with Texas Monthly, eight of those years as editor. He currently hosts "Overheard with Evan Smith" airing on PBS stations nationally.

As one writer said of the historic first three years: "Whatever, it's been a hell of a ride."

I firmly believe that public-service journalism is a public good, that there is not nearly enough of it in Texas, and this publication can inform Texans and help those who are abroad to better understand today's Texas.

An honest approach to journalism can solve a great many of America's problems. Watchdog journalism is in a drastic state of decline. This was once a basic concern of newspapers. Just last week the Greek authorities jailed an editor for telling the truth — he revealed all the wealth of the leaders!

There is much evidence of "the law" taking too strong a hand when a whistle-blower exposes someone of misconduct or white-collar crime. The Wall Street Journal article of a bank's efforts to promote tax evasion led to 33,000 U.S. taxpayers confessing to holding undeclared overseas accounts. By being revealed, they paid more than $5 billion in taxes and penalties.

Investigative watchdog journalism is the heart of the news business — keeping government, corporations and the public to a higher standard. Smarter, informed Texans equal a better Texas.

People really do care about thoughtful, productive, unbiased, unvarnished, unfiltered news, even including information about politics, public policy, government, jails and hospitals.West Texas lost a friend last week — Ross McSwain. He was a newspaperman who held many jobs with the San Angelo Standard-Times and other publications. Sharing his joy, insight and humor, intertwined with a grumble about something in politics, church, of the younger generation, made for good reading.

Ross' Sunday "Out Yonder" column always closed with a thoughtful little quip or wise phrase that started the day better for us. It was an honor to be chosen one of the honorary pallbearers.